The need for services
Anyone who has a toddler of their own, or has spent any amount of time around a 2-year-old, knows that these tiny tots can be quite a handful!
11:1
The state-approved child-to-teacher ratio for 2-year-olds in Texas child care centers
In Texas, the state approved child-to-teacher ratio for this age group in child care centers is 11:1. Can you imagine? Up to twenty-two energetic children being cared for by only two sets of hands!
Now, picture the same scenario where many of the children struggle academically or have behavior challenges and there are a serious lack of resources available to their instructors.
United Way for Greater Austin’s Success By 6 program works with 12 local child care centers that serve low-income children to help them meet and keep high-quality standards by providing an array of support services that positively impact students and teachers.
Success this year
This past year, more than 900 children and 180+ teachers benefited from UWATX’s Center Project, which leverages in-kind support to provide resources, teacher training and professional development, social-emotional learning and director mentoring.
900
children served
180+
teachers impacted
1,500
hours of skilled substitute care
Through the substitute pool, UWATX substitutes provided more than 1,500 hours of care in these centers. Success By 6 knows that just because a classroom isn’t lead by the usual instructor, we cannot afford to let a day’s worth of valuable learning go to waste!
After assessing more than 250 children, the Center Project results from the first year are in! Low-income children who attended the Center Project facilities during the summer of 2013 and 2014 experienced significant improvements in their language skills.
In 2013, 45% of these low-income students were developmentally on target. Fast forward one year, and we are able to report that 67% of these children are now considered developmentally on target!
In terms of social-emotional development, 89% of children who benefitted from social-emotional support were developmentally on target or improved their skills, which include better self-regulation and positive relationships with their peers. Of these 89%, 61% showed improvement!
How you can Make Austin Greater
The Women’s Leadership Council had the opportunity to hear about the Center Project results from Dr. Alison Bentley during their September Lunch & Learn event. The WLC is committed to ensuring that Greater Austin’s youngest citizens are prepared to help our community thrive.